Spank That Donkey

 Gov. Jim Gilmore visited JMU yesterday and the three different news articles written by the Staunton News Leader and the Daily News Record & The New Dominion are striking.  I don't know the reporter, but tell me exactly how informed you are after reading it.  Here's like the 'meat' of Gilmore's comments as a hint to what I am talking about:

"After telling the audience about his background, Gilmore encouraged them to vote with their values and use their voices through leadership."

Wow!  But what about those of us who would have actually like to have been there and we are dependent on the reporter to maybe, you know, fill us in on what he said?

Now lets take a look at the DNR coverage on Gilmore's comments:

For the next half-hour, he spoke on matters of both future policy and personal history. He offered first a cheery analysis of the country's standing in the world.

"We're really in great shape in terms of our position around the world," he said, pointing to the economy, military and education system as proof. The conservative policies he supports would keep it that way, Gilmore said.

The economy dominated much of his speech and the question-and-answer session that followed.

Gilmore says his conservative fiscal policies stem from key beliefs he holds that would steer his years in the halls of Congress if elected.

"I believe in problem-solving," Gilmore offered, the first of three beliefs at the core of his speech.

When he became governor, "in those days, you had to pay a tax just for owning a car, year after year after year." During his term, he cut 70 percent of that tax.

Second, he added, "you have to have integrity if you're going to serve in office." Too many politicians, he said, make campaign promises only to break them in office. "It makes people very cynical and I think that's wrong."

And third, "you have to have principles," Gilmore said, taking the opportunity to talk of his family and past experience.

Looks like Kelly Jasper of the DNR does  a pretty decent job here, then we have Chris Graham of the New Dominion who had a two fold mission of covering the speech, and actually doing an interview with the Governor:

"Jim Gilmore is a solid Republican - but he’s willing to break with party leaders, and even President Bush, when he feels it necessary. “We don’t want to necessarily carry the power in Iraq strictly on the backs of the military. We’re very proud of those men and women, we honor them - but American policy has to be broad-based,” said Gilmore, a candidate for the Republican Party nomination to run for the open United States Senate seat representing Virginia in November."

 Chris doesn't get as much into the speech, as he is focused on the interview but it's informative about the Governor's positions and what he actually said.

The Staunton News Leader's coverage of this event reminds me of a quote on saw on this blog 'On Frozen Blog':

“The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.” - Thomas Jefferson"

 If you are actually interested in being an 'informed' voter check out the New Dominion Interview here.  If you are interested in hearing that indeed Gov. Gilmore did come to JMU and talked about the issues of the day, and that is about all you can handle, please stay with the News Leader.